Ever wonder which social network is the best use for marketing for your business? It's a big question so be sure to collaborate it with your business teams across the organization. Facebook is good for most business but Pinterest has a slight advantage if you're looking for more than product and brand recognition.

Pinterest has long become the space that inspires sales. Check out and share the infographic we created. These marketing stats cannot be denied. And now that they provide analytics for activity, be sure to check out their Help Guide to get your business up to speed.

Are you keeping up with the trends of Social TV? Real-time marketing, via TV and Twitter, is turning into the premiere spot for brands and marketers to keep products and promotions alive beyond the original campaign. Hold on to this blog so you can strategize on how you'll tweet your way into the Twitterverse's heart.

You guessed it; Twitter is key. If you're not familiar with all of the chatter during the #Oscars2014 or #Sharknado from months past, these TV events demonstrated the power of Twitter. The latter is already in post-production for Part 2 due to the comments made on the tool. The people have spoken and they want more sharks flying through gusts of wind and rain!

Here's some advice to consider before participating in Social TV.

Sync with your team on Twitter strategy. The space moves fast and furious and everyone involved must be ready for the unknown so get your crisis management plan together.

Decide what's off limits. We suggest being authentic but on your best behavior.

Be brand relevant. It would be awkward and off-putting if you jumped into a conversation that has nothing to do with you.

Get creative to get more reach. Emotions (funny or touching) go far if it's done well.

Twitter's not the only horse in this race. Think multi-channel. Extend to Instagram, Pinterest or Facebook for Social TV opportunities.

BONUS! - Twitter is measurable and affordable! There's no guessing about who's talking about your product when you've created a unique hashtag. And there are low-to-no-cost tools to manage posted campaign content. HootSuite and SproutSocial are two favorites of mine. CrimsonHexagon does a brilliant job of diving deeper into tweeters' affinities with their ForSight Platform. (Unsolicited suggestions)

You may not feel your product has a place in Social TV but get creative so you can be part of the biggest trend in 2014. Start tracking - or creating - social media buzz to build a base and to see how others view your product or brand.

There are endless possibilities for engaging with the biggest social trend of this year. If you, or your boss, need more convincing, use these "Top 10 Predictions for Social TV".

It's been a while since we've blogged but we're back with exciting stuff from Social Media Week London 2013. We started the week with "What's Next?: Future Trends For Brand Communications" inside the stunning Royal Institute of Britain. It was generously hosted by Drew Benvie, the founder of social media agency, Battenhall.

We've been to our share of exciting social media events after living in San Francisco for 14 years, but this one left us in awe. The majesty of the Royal Institute lent to a very worthy event to attend. And not just because of the fresh pastries, cronuts and catered iced coffee. Thank you, Battenhall!

So let's get down to what we learned from the day's event.

Introduced by former FT Global Director of Communications, Emma Gilpin Jacobs, Drew started the presentation educating the crowd on his agency's research of the status of Twitter and the FTSE 100 (for us Americans, he pronounced it "footsy"). Here he examined the use of social media for investor relations and corporate communications by FTSE companies.

He focused a lot on Twitter and rightfully so. Here were some interesting insights:

88 of 100 FTSE companies tweet

28 of those companies have over 10,000 followers (Burberry has 2.1 million followers and is seen as one of the most successful social media brands)

Companies use social for customer service, community management and corporate relations

Twitter - I'm sure this was no surprise. But it was interesting to hear that it's starting to outrank YouTube and, soon, Google as the coolest place to be online. Generation C considers Facebook "so dead". This young demo is seen as the content creators of today and tomorrow, hence their moniker.

A Life Logged - We use social media to track our lives. In a few years, there will be 24 billion smart devices to support our self obsessions. Expect Twitter to be a large part of what you share.

Hacker Culture - We're familiar with these skills to be used for evil, like the "trollers" who want to steal data. But they're going to be used for good, like at this year's O2 Hackathon a few weeks ago.

Single Purpose Apps - Just like it sounds, apps that will do just one thing. But it will do that one thing like a HERO.

According to Drew Benvie, keep your eyes peeled for these Apps to stand out over the next few years: Twitter, Instagram, Keek, Vine, ask.fm, tumblr, and WhatsApp. We advise you get your brand's name in the game, if you haven't already. "Business is social".

Do you believe in Digital Darwinism? The evolution of consumer behavior is evolving faster as society uses technology to communicate their wants and needs. Businesses need to make room for this ability to adapt.

How are you going to make sure not to become an extinct business? Start by dipping your virtual toes in social media. Then take these steps:

1. Grab URLS/Names quickly. You'll want your brand name to be unified across every social channel.2. Listen. What are your competitors doing? Take note of the good, bad, ugly and innovative.3. Ask yourself what you can offer. Who are you trying to appeal to? Why should they listen to you? 4. Start a blog. Break down all of the ways you can respond to #3 above and break them down into various easy-to-understand blogs. It'll set the stage for making you the authority in your space to build up your dedicated Tribe of followers.5. Make a list. Who will you need to execute your social plans? You may need to start hiring to fulfill your social media goals sooner, rather than later.This should keep you occupied for a while. Until next time...~ Tracy, Royally Social